Cypress youth minister gets 5 years for sex assault of child

Updated 1:26 pm, Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Chad Foster is charged with sexual assault of a child and online solicitation of a minor.

Chad Foster is charged with sexual assault of a child and online solicitation of a minor.

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Cypress youth minister gets 5 years for sex assault of child

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A jury this week sentenced a youth minister to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child and online solicitation of a minor in 2011, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said that Chad Foster, 34, of Cypress, showed sexually explicit images of himself on Skype, a computer video communication system, to a 14-year-old girl. The girl told authorities she met Foster when he was a youth pastor at Second Baptist Church in northwest Houston, records state.

The girl said she and Foster exchanged phone numbers and began to send text messages. Their communication extended to Facebook, according to prosecutors.

Foster's cell phone records showed more than 15,000 text messages between Foster's cell phone and the girl's between Jan. 1 and Nov. 2, 2011, according a criminal complaint filed in the case.

On Nov. 3, Foster was charged with sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl who said she met the youth pastor in the summer when he worked at Community of Faith Church in Cypress. The two immediately became friends and exchanged phone numbers, records state.

In July, she was at his home and the two began to kiss, according to court records. From there, the relationship became more physical, and they had sex six times between August and October, records state.

The girl told authorities that Foster sent her numerous text messages and emails asking her to deny the sexual relationship if anyone asked about it.

Foster was sentenced on Monday in the 182nd Harris County District Court.